Draymond Green recently signed a 4 year, $100 million deal in order to remain a member of the Golden State Warriors. His presence has been described as vital to the team’s success by their own coach, and Green has proved to be a commodity even with his diminishing offensive skill set.
Draymond Green Has No Relationship With Jonathan Kuminga
Draymond Green doesn’t have a relationship with Jonathan Kuminga, per @MontePooleNBCS
“[Draymond Green & Jonathan Kuminga’s non-relationship] is a problem and it can only be fixed by Draymond. The new contract implies the Warriors believe he can fix it, but around the league… pic.twitter.com/Un70mqvzfW
— NBACentral (@TheNBACentral) July 20, 2023
While there is no question to the value that he provides on the court, it is the off-court relationships and issues with young teammates that are continuously making headlines.
It of course started with the Jordan Poole incident. The young guard had just signed a massive contract extension that would make him the face of the next generation of Warriors players when he was sucker punched by Green at the Golden State practice facility. Green took some time away from the team, but it seemed as though the players eventually worked things out as they went about business as usual.
But after a semi-successful regular season, the Warriors had high hopes entering the postseason. They were favorites in their opening series despite being a far lower seed, and were able to defeat the Sacramento Kings in a hard fought, seven-game dual.
It was in very little thanks to Poole’s performance. In Games 5 through 7, Poole scored a total of 25 points by shooting 9-for-32 from the field. Things got even worse in the team’s next series against the Lakers. After a solid Game 1, Poole averaged 5.8 points per game in 18.8 minutes, and shot under 6% from deep on 17 attempts. Not great for a guy scheduled to make roughly $30 million next season.
Golden State Chose Green Over Poole In The Long Run
The Infamous Punch between Jordan Poole and Draymond Green that ended their friendship and ruined their chemistry pic.twitter.com/WNOBTPDjPp
— ✞ (@smileybackbae) July 19, 2023
According to the coach and alluded to by the players, Green’s punch in training camp created a rift between the younger and older players on the team, which ultimately spelled their doom when it mattered most.
So while it is easy to point to Poole’s poor playoff performance, the real reason for him being jettisoned to Washington is likely because he couldn’t co-exist with Draymond Green. The Warriors chose to keep their long-time member, but there may be even further trouble with other young guys on the team.
It was reported on Thursday by Warriors beat writer Monte Poole that Green doesn’t have a relationship with teammate Jonathan Kuminga.
Kuminga has been a regular part of Golden State’s rotation for a couple of years now, averaging nearly 19 minutes per game. But there is apparently a rift between him and Green, which Poole says is a problem that can only be fixed by Draymond.
It may not be the only headache that Green is giving the Warriors after signing his extension. Poole also mentioned that the front office could be annoyed by Green constantly bringing up the punch.